Believe
by aisakayume
Summary: {Formerly 'Untitled'} Someone is after Kairi, but who? And, more importantly, why? (Rated for mild violence & shounen-ai; this is NOT Kairi's story!)
1. 001: The Chase

Okay, before you read, I guess I should tell you a few things. One, this is an _extremely_ AU fic. I'm trying my best not to distort the characters' personalities, but forgive me if Kairi seems a bit… off. She was never my favorite character in the game, so I didn't pay close attention to her actions. Another thing, about the location, think… Carmel, California. It's a beautiful, but very small city by the sea. (Maybe not Carmel, but the one here is.) More on this later. For now, on with the story!

-----

She didn't know who, or why, but someone was after her.

Kairi ran blindly down the dark, deserted street. She cursed out loud when her foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk, nearly causing her to lose her balance. She could hear the steady footsteps behind her, and they were getting closer.

--

Sora kicked at a stone on the path. Sighing heavily, he plopped down on the nearest bench and looked up at the clear night sky. Everyone in the small city was at the funeral; everyone except him, that is. He'd arrived there earlier with his mother and father, but left soon after that. One look at Riku told him that he wouldn't be able to handle being there for long. _That look on his face... _There was no way Sora was going to let Riku see him cry. Not ever.

So he left, wandering around the seemingly empty city until he came to the park. It was more than just a park, mind you. There was the massive concert hall and outdoor stage along with a mid-sized lake and camping areas, not to mention _miles_ of walking paths; it was half the size of the city itself. Sora rather liked this place; he often came here to sort things out in his mind. There was always a place you could be alone and undisturbed to do just that.

He stretched out on the bench; he could already tell that tonight was going to be a long night.

--

Kairi cursed again and picked herself up off of the ground--she had fallen that time--and continued running as fast as she could. The footsteps behind her were even louder now. She saw a cluster of trees and the glistening of moonlight on water ahead of her, and silently pleaded that someone would hear her screams.

--

Sora's eyes fluttered. He'd nearly dozed off, but a persistent noise had kept him awake. Yawning, he sat up and tried to discern what he was hearing. _Kami[1], that awful noise... I wish it would stop. It sounds like... Like someone screaming!_ Sora got to his feet and looked around. _But why? And where? I don't see anyone._ Squinting his eyes, he looked hard into the distance. _There! _He spotted movement near the lake. Running toward it he thought, _What's her _problem_?_

--

She was on the ground again. Her vision was failing from the fall--she had hit her head on the low concrete wall--and she wasn't entirely sure where she was, but Kairi knew one thing for certain: whoever was chasing her had finally caught up.

There was a hand on her right arm, roughly forcing her onto her back. It stayed there, and with enough pressure behind it that she was sure she couldn't move. In fact, it felt as if this person was crushing her shoulder. She moaned softly out of pain, some of it coming from her arm, but most of it from her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, her mind spinning.

"Open your eyes." The tone was low, but commanding. It was definitely a man.

"Nnh.." Kairi did as she was told and took in the man's features. The first thing she noticed were the bright orange, cat-like eyes close to her face. She also noted the man's long, light, almost violet-colored hair. Most of it was covered by the black hood he was wearing, but a few stands had fallen out to tickle her face. Nothing about this person was immediately familiar, so she closed her eyes again and wished for the throbbing pain in her head to stop.

"I said, open your eyes." He said it more forcefully this time.

Kairi's eyes shot open when she felt cool steel placed against her throat. "W-what do you want with me?" she choked out, trying to move as little as possible.

"Ah, I see you are still with me. Good, I almost thought you'd done my job for me. I would've hated to see that happen; this is my favorite part."

"What do you _want_," Kairi spat out angrily. She'd come back to her senses for the most part, but she still didn't know who this person was or why he was attacking her.

"You don't recognize me, then? That's a shame." The knife was pressed harder into her throat, she could feel a small stream of blood trickle down her neck.

Kairi's mind was racing. "Enough!" She tried to push the hand away from her neck, and the man responded by bearing down harder on her shoulder. Kairi winced and resigned herself. "Tell me why you're doing this!"

The man laughed a short, dry laugh, and spat back at her: "You saw too much, my child, and I cannot allow you to share that secret of yours with anyone else."

Kairi's thoughts came to a screeching halt. "You!" Her eyes widened in fear. "But I haven't told anyone! I swear I won't!"

"As much as I would like to take your word for it, I'm afraid I can't take the risk. One who knows nothing can understand _nothing_. And you, my dear, could not possibly fathom the circumstances of what you saw." The knife was removed, replaced by both of the man's hands around Kairi's neck.

Kairi gasped for air in vain. She clawed at his hands, but he only tightened his grip. Her vision was growing dark again. She tried to scream one last time, but it came out as just a squeak. There was a burning pain in her chest as her lungs were starved for air. Finally, she felt herself falling into darkness and let her arms rest at her sides. She saw a silver flash behind the man just as her eyes closed and she slipped from consciousness.

-----

[1] Kami = Japanese for 'god'

A/N: Hah! Is it Riku, or is it Sora? Oh, and I'll give you three guesses as to who the assailant is. (But you had better only need one!) I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Also, sorry that this is so short. I kinda wanted it to be alone.

Riku: -rolls his eyes- You just wanted to leave me out of it.

Sakayume: -smiles- Now why on earth would I do that? You know I only want for you to be with Sora!

Riku: Right…


	2. 002: Reflections

Okay, next chapter! I realized there may have been a bit of confusion regarding Riku in the first chapter. I can tell you now that, NO, Riku is NOT dead. (Many thanks to my lovely angel for pointing that out to me. Love you, Steffie.) I also feel that I need to go ahead and tell you now: my chapters are short, in case you haven't noticed. But I will try to make up for this by updating often. This is the first time I'm really trying to stick with something, so I really hope that I can make this fanfic long. And finished, eventually. And hope that I don't bore you to death with the dumb plot. -sighs-

Alright, enough of that! On with the next chapter! Enjoy!

-----

Running a shaking hand through his silver hair, Riku sighed. _I know Sora's here. I saw his parents just a minute ago... so where is he? And where the hell is Kairi?_ Riku walked into the small public bathroom, locking the door behind him. He stood in front of one of the three small sinks and stared at his reflection in the mirror. _I look terrible..._ He turned on the cold water and held his hands under it for a moment before leaning over and splashing some on his face. Resting his elbows on the sink with the water still running, he put his head in his hands, a few tears escaping his sea green eyes. _Kami, look at me. I shouldn't be crying. My father got what he deserved, but still... it hurts. Aren't best friends supposed to comfort you in times like this? Where _is _he?_

Riku remained in that position for a few moments before standing upright and turning off the water. He grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and dried off his face and hands before leaving the bathroom.

--

Sora came to a dead stop; what he saw terrified him. Kairi was lying on the ground before him, and someone was leaning over her. Choking her. Without thinking, Sora ran straight into the man, knocking him off of Kairi. The two of them--Sora and Kairi's attacker--nearly rolled into the lake for their struggling. The man tried to reach for his knife, but Sora reached it first. He stood quickly, holding the rather large knife out in front of him. The man laughed the same dry laugh as before and stepped toward Sora.

"Don't come any closer!" Sora had moved so that he was between the man and Kairi. "I don't know what you want with her, but get lost! I'm not going to let you hurt Kairi!" Sora backed up slowly, and kneeled by Kairi's side, still facing the man.

"And just what do you expect to do to stop me? Are you going to _kill_ me?" He gestured to the knife in Sora's right hand.

Sora glared at the man and looked down at Kairi. She was still breathing, but she certainly wasn't conscious. "Kairi," he said and gently shook her by the shoulder. "Kairi, wake up. Wake up! Kairi!"

The man had circled around behind Sora, and now Sora felt a knife being pressed to _his_ throat. "I could've killed you twice already in the time you looked away from me," the man stated flatly. He took hold of Sora's arm and forced him to stand.

"So why didn't you?" Sora gripped the knife in his hand harder as he spoke.

"No fun at all," the man replied simply. He moved the knife and turned Sora around, their faces now only inches apart. Catching the gleam of the knife in the corner of his eye, the man easily took it from Sora, tossing it swiftly into the lake.

Sora looked straight up into the man's eerie eyes, not blinking once. He noticed that they had changed--darkened, somehow--but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. (A/N: Metaphorically speaking, of course. I don't think Sora'd actually be stupid enough to try to stick his finger in the guy's eye...)

The man placed his knife back in its sheath at his side. He put both hands on Sora's shoulders, firmly holding him in place._[1]_ "Such bravery, even in the face of death. Tell me, how do you expect to escape this situation?" His gaze did not stray from Sora's eyes in the minute of silence that followed his words.

Sora was confused when the man suddenly pulled him closer, moving one hand from Sora's shoulder to gently cup his chin. "W-what are you _doing_?" Sora tried to take a step back, but the man held him in place.

"Relax. If you cooperate, I might spare your life." He tilted Sora's face up to his own, pressing his lips fully onto Sora's.

Sora's eyes shot open. He tried to yell out, and the man took this as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. Sora could hear Kairi stirring slightly behind him. He thought he was going to be sick. After all, this was his first real kiss, and this was nothing like what he had envisioned...

(-Flashback-)

{Young Kairi and Sora are sitting in the shade, hidden in their own secret spot in the cypress grove.}

"Sora."

"Yeah, Kairi?"

"Has anyone... ever kissed you before?"

Sora looked away from Kairi, blushing a bit. "Well, of course. My mom has kissed me lots of times._[2]_ Why do you ask?"

Kairi moved closer to Sora. "I don't mean your mom or your dad. I mean, like... someone special."

Sora frowned. "My mom is special."

Sighing, Kairi closed the small distance remaining between them. "Sora, you bum. You _know_ what I mean."

"Uhh... no. Really, Kairi, I don't." He was blushing again.

Kairi closed her eyes and kissed Sora on the lips. Giggling at the look on his face, she said, "_now_ do you know?"

Sora was blushing furiously.

(-End Flashback-)

Sora came crashing back to reality when he felt the man's hands wandering his body. The man's eyes were closed fully now, and Sora took the opportunity given to him. He bit down on the man's tongue and used the remainder of his strength to push him onto the ground. Sora bent and reached inside the man's coat for his knife, taking it and driving it into the man's leg. Kairi was a bit more awake now, but Sora didn't want to waste any time. He gathered her up in his arms--with some effort--and ran away as fast as he could.

--

Ansem pulled the knife out of his leg--casually, as if he didn't notice the burning pain or blood pooling on the ground beneath him. _God_damnit_. I should have known the boy wouldn't give in so easily. _He stood up, glancing in the direction he'd seen Sora run with Kairi. _Lust gets in the way of duty once again. _He smiled sadistically. "I will find you," he said forcefully into the night. "I will find you and you will wish you had died here tonight." Ansem turned and began walking toward the park exit. "You will wish..." he whispered into the darkness. "That you could end your life yourself."

-----

[1] Remember, they're standing less than a foot apart, so it looks almost as if they're hugging, despite the difference in their heights.

[2] Like I said, YOUNG Kairi and Sora.

Well, how'd you like it? Reviews are most welcome and appreciated.

Riku: -cough- Suck up.

Sakayume: Hey now! I could have just went with what people thought in the first chapter! You could be dead now, buddy, so you'd better shut your mouth.

Riku: Oh? And then who would be with Sora? -smirks-

Sakayume: I... -glares- Damn you, Riku. Damn you.


	3. 003: Fear & Familiarity

Here we go again. The next chapter in this _masterpiece_ of a fanfic. -rolls her eyes- Oh, didn't I mention? Sora's NOT a morning person. Hey, he can't be all happy and totally loveable ALL the time... Geez. Also, don't expect to find out anymore about The Funeral this chapter. I'll explain it all--hopefully--in chapter four. Until then… wonder at the mystery of **The Funeral**! (Should be capitalized, right? I mean, as ominous as it's been, hovering over Riku like that… -laughs- _Great_ book: Armageddon Summer by Bruce Coville & Jane Yolen. Well worth its rambling nature. Hehe, like me! … I hope. -sweatdrop- ) One more thing, and I swear I'll stop. Please don't mind the obvious presence and OOC-ness of Squall (a.k.a. Leon from Kingdom Hearts). I'm only using his image because I really don't know all that much about him other than what I saw in KH. XP Proceed!

-----

Sunlight poured in from the open window beside Sora's bed. He sat up groggily and rubbed at his eyes, sending a death glare at his alarm clock. "Seven already? Sheesh..." He reached over and slammed a fist on top of it, effectively cutting off the annoying beeping. Sora laid back down and closed his eyes.

He had almost drifted off to sleep again when his mother's voice echoed up the stairs: "Sora! Aren't you up yet? You're going to be late again!"

Sora got out of bed and stomped over to the doorway of his room. "I'm up! I'm going to take a shower RIGHT NOW!"

His mother appeared at the top of the stairs. "No time, grumpy. Just get dressed and come downstairs for your breakfast. I'll drive you to school."

"But I have to! I'm going with Riku to see Kairi after school." Sora crossed his arms and pouted.

"No way, mister, that pout of yours isn't working on me. You do need a shower, but you're not going to be late for school; you've been late too many times already. You can just have Riku come over here and wait on you while you take a shower. _Then_ you two can go and visit Kairi. I'm sure she'll be fine until then, seeing as you were with her all day yesterday." Sora's mother shook her head to stop him from arguing further. "I mean it, Sora. Now get dressed and eat your breakfast."

Sora gave up and went back into his room, digging through a drawer until he found some clean clothes: dark blue jeans and a red t-shirt. He pulled them on and picked up a gray hooded sweatshirt from the floor. Putting it on as well, he hurried downstairs in his socks.

---

Sora had immediately spaced out once he got to school. He couldn't stop thinking about Saturday night._[1]_

(-Flashback-)  
{Saturday Night}

Sora didn't know what to do. He'd run with Kairi in his arms for nearly six blocks, not really knowing where to go. He looked down at Kairi, half-awake in his arms. Her skin was pale, making the blossoming bruises on her neck and arms all the more visible.

"Kairi. Kairi, are you okay?"

"Mmm... Sora?" Kairi struggled to open her eyes and looked up at Sora. She smiled faintly just then. "I knew it was you. This..." She reached up and tugged gently on his necklace, staring at the crown attached to it. "You've always worn this thing. What does it mean, Sora?"

Sora frowned, confused by her question. "Are you feeling okay?"

Kairi nodded, releasing the necklace. "Thank you." She went limp in his arms and Sora prayed that she was just unconscious again. He stared down at her lithe form. Noticing her shallow breathing, he sighed. _I don't guess I have a choice. _He walked the remaining three blocks to the city's only hospital.

The walls inside the hospital were a blinding white and it smelled of cleaning solution. Sora hated hospitals, he always had since... Well, as long as he cared to remember. But Kairi was more important than a childish fear, so he walked right into the emergency room, still holding the unconscious girl in his arms.

"Um, excuse me?"

The nurse at the front desk was a rather large woman wearing a light pink uniform and a variety of odd jewelry. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she was focusing intently on a computerized game of Solitaire.

Sora cleared his throat in an effort to get the nurse's attention. It seemed that there was no one else there. _All at the funeral_, he thought. Sora squinted at the woman's name tag. "Rosie?"

The woman's head snapped up at hearing her name. "Yes, dear?" She looked at Sora lazily with a warm smile on her face.

He shifted his weight, glancing down at Kairi before looking back up at the nurse. "Umm..."

"Oh, good heavens! What in the world's happened to her?" Rosie jumped up out of her chair and pressed down a button on the phone beside her. "Doctor Leon to the ER! Hurry, Squall!" She hurried around the desk to stand beside Sora. She reached for Kairi's wrist to check her pulse, and used a stethoscope to listen to her heartbeat. Rosie then looked down at Sora. "Well? Are you going to tell me what's happened to her or not?"

Sora almost cringed at the blame in her voice. It sounded almost as if she thought _Sora_ had done this to her. His thoughts scrambled to put together a suitable lie. Whoever that man was that attacked Kairi, Sora didn't think it would be wise to tell anyone about him. _It was almost like he _knew_ who Kairi was... _Sora was jolted out of his thoughts when the woman took Kairi from his arms. A tall man with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses had joined them. He was wearing a long white coat_[2]_ over a gray-blue uniform and carrying a white clipboard. "Is this her?" He nodded to Kairi, who was now in Rosie's arms.

"Yessir. But the kid," she jerked her head toward Sora, "won't say what's happened."

The man nodded again and motioned for them to follow. Rosie turned and told Sora to stay put.

"But, I--"

"You just wait here, I'll be back in a minute and you can tell me what's going on."

Sora looked down. "Yes ma'am." Rosie smiled and followed the doctor. His exhaustion finally caught up with him and Sora sat down in an uncomfortable plastic chair, putting his head in his hands. _What a wonderful night._

The next thing he knew, he was being gently shaken awake by the brown-haired man. "You okay, kid?" His voice was soft, even for being in a hospital.

Another reason why I hate_ hospitals: waiting._

The man laughed a little. "I don't blame you. I guess it can get pretty boring sitting here all by yourself."

Sora jumped up. "Huh? Did I just say that out loud?" He could already feel the blush creeping across his face.

"Yeah." The man smiled. "That girl, is she your girlfriend?"

Sora's eyes widened and he felt his face turn a new shade of red. "No! She's not! We're just friends, really!"

"Okay, settle down. It was just a question. Have a seat."

Sora did as he was told and looked down at his hands in his lap. "Kairi and I have been friends for as long as I can remember," he looked up, "but that's all."

"Alright. Well--"

"Oh, Squall, go on!" The nurse had appeared again and was trying to shoo the doctor away. "You're scaring the poor boy. Let me talk to him." Then, to Sora, "Doctor Leonhart is taking care of Miss Kairi. You can go in to see her as soon as you tell me what's happened to her. Seems she can't remember, herself. Either that or she won't tell." She dismissed Dr. Leonhart with a wave of her hand.

"Okay, Rosie. I'm going." He stood and left the room, smiling.

Rosie sat heavily in the chair next to Sora, looking at him expectantly. Sora shifted his gaze to the floor. "Kairi and I were on our way to the..." he trailed off.

"To the funeral?" Rosie urged him on.

He shrugged. "We were walking and this guy just came out of nowhere. He grabbed Kairi and held a knife to her throat, saying that he wanted our money." _Kami! Nice going, Sora, I'm sure she'll believe that. What criminal in his right mind would attack two teenagers in a place like this? _He mentally smacked himself and continued: "I took the knife out of his hand and threw it into the lake. He pushed Kairi down--that's when she hit her head--and came at me, but I picked her up and ran most of the way here." He shrugged again and looked up at Rosie, afraid she wasn't going to believe his lie.

Either Rosie bought Sora's story, or just didn't want to push the matter any further, because she nodded her head and stood, motioning for Sora to stand as well. "I suppose you want to see your friend, then?"

"Yes ma'am. But is she going to be okay?"

Rosie chuckled. "Why, of course, dear!" The warm smile had returned. "She'll have to stay here for a week or two at least, but she'll be just fine."

That was all Sora needed to hear. He let out a sigh of relief. "Can I see her now?"

(-End Flashback-)  
  
Sora was snapped out of his reminiscence by his English teacher, who was towering over his desk. "Sora! Have you been listening at all?"

Sora looked around the room; everyone but Riku seemed to be staring at him. Sora'd made it a point to avoid Riku all day, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Just then, in his all-black outfit_[3]_, Riku appeared to be completely apathetic of his surroundings. Sora felt a familiar tinge of pain in his heart. Riku was always quiet and somewhat distant in school, but this was different. Sora could almost hear the battle raging inside of him; he was trying desperately to keep up that cold mask of his.

There was an impatient sigh above him, and Sora blinked away his thoughts. "No ma'am." This erupted a fit of laughter from the other students. Sora blushed and looked down at his desk. "I'm sorry."

The teacher glared at her students, effectively shutting them up. Her gaze then softened as she looked back down at Sora's bowed head. "I'd like to talk to you after class, Sora, if that's alright."

Sora looked at her momentarily, mumbling a quiet "yes, ma'am" before picking up his pencil and copying the homework assignment from the blackboard. The teacher returned to the front of the room and continued with her lesson.

-----

[1] _"...about Saturday night." -- _Chapters 1 & 2 took place on Saturday; it's now Monday.

[2] _"...a long white coat..." -- _Please forgive the common doctor stereotype. (eheh..)

[3] _"...in his all-black outfit..." --_ Goth!Riku. XP Yeah, I know... more stereotyping.

A/N: Yes, slightly longer chapter this time, and let me tell you… my mind kept screaming at me when I passed three pages, telling me to stop, but I didn't let it! -laughs- I really am trying to make my chapters longer. -puts a hand over her heart- I am committed to this story. It WILL see a proper ending, and it shouldn't be anytime soon. A lot of this wasn't even part of the plot (underdeveloped as it was) when I first started writing, so there's still a lot more to come and there hasn't even been mention of my first idea for it--the reason for its inception. -grins evilly-

Riku: -yawn- Well, you should hurry up and write more about me. Everyone knows I'm your favorite, so where the hell am I?

Sakayume: Hush! You were right there, sitting across the room from Sora in the end of this chapter. -points- See? Goth!You. -smiles- You like?

Riku: Goth, huh? Well, _that's _original.

Sakayume: -glares- Why must you always criticize me?!!?! -throws herself onto her desk, sobbing-

Riku: -sighs- Kami, help me…


End file.
